A GP practice in Cramlington has been given the green light to relocate to our new building which will be fit for future and integrated healthcare provision.
Brockwell Surgery, which cares for 11,500 patients and is part of Valens Medical Partnership, was given the final approval at NHS Northumberland CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee held last month.
The relocated surgery will then be 2.2 miles from the current practice, moving into the ground floor of Northumbria Healthcare’s new health and education centre of excellence in the grounds of the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.
The centre of excellence, which will be called the Northumbria Health and Care Academy, will be a totally separate building from the hospital and is due to be built by autumn 2023.
Dr Aamir Munir, Executive GP partner, said: “We are delighted with and very much welcome this approval. The new practice building is a fit-for-purpose, high-specification, modern healthcare facility which will enable our practice to provide a full range of integrated primary care services and support. We will absolutely still be embedded within the community that we serve. Relocating here will mean that we can continue to improve the quality of care we provide our patients, continue to tackle health inequalities and do all we can to ensure the care is tailored to their needs and is as joined up as possible with other services they may require.”
The move has been something the practice has wanted to do for a while and the final decision was made after an independently-run six-week engagement process.
This enabled patients and all other stakeholders to give their feedback on the relocation in a variety of ways including via email, online, face-to-face on an individual basis and as part of focus groups or at drop-in sessions. More than 1,500 people took part in this engagement process.
Dr Munir continued: “I appreciate that there were mixed views when we did our patient engagement, but would like to reassure people that we will do all we can to address any concerns, including providing patient transport for those who need it and ensuring there is enough free parking on site. There won’t be any change to, or reduction of, the current services. There will in fact be a better provision as a result of more space. We will be able to co-locate with other services, develop our digital offer to patients and increase access to face-to-face appointments.
“Patients registered at Brockwell Surgery don’t have to re-register and when we move contact details and opening hours will remain the same. We will also be able to provide appointments out of core hours. Patients who are registered at our Seaton Sluice or Seaton Delaval surgeries will see no change to their services and will continue to access services offered at Brockwell at the new site.”
The practice is committed to providing patient transport to those who need it and is working with Age UK to identify alternative transport options. This service will be bookable for the time of a patient’s appointment and will be a door-do-door service.
Options, including having a barrier in place, are being considered to ensure GP surgery patients have access to parking when they attend the practice.
The Brockwell Surgery and site is owned by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Options for the future use of the building are currently being reviewed. This includes the possibility of it being used as a community health resource.
Further detailed information, including frequently asked questions and the engagement report, is available at www.valensmedical.co.uk/brockwellmove
Further information:
- There are several buses that run through Cramlington, from the current site directly to the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital site. These include the Little Coasters services X11 and 57 and 58 services.
- We have applied for a pharmacy to be located at the new building.